Another pill dedicated to brewer's yeast, an ingredient that has aroused your curiosity.
It is a tasty and nutritious ingredient that can replace or supplement animal proteins in both fast baits and more complex mixtures suitable for baiting.
It is a single-celled organism belonging to the mushroom kingdom, which has protein characteristics similar to meat and fish.
Used for centuries to leaven flours and produce fermented drinks, this micro-organism is produced and marketed by multinationals that distribute tons of it around the world on a daily basis.
Like all bait guru pills, we will look at this simply and concisely and directly, to dispel any doubts you may have about this ingredient.
Let's start by saying that fishing companies draw from the pet-food sector without making any changes to the product itself, other than re-branding it.
There is only one type of brewer's yeast, which can either be live, i.e. with active cells and capable of fermenting sugary substances, or dead, i.e. at the end of the fermentation process.
We do not need live yeast as the fungus dies above 40°C and therefore the inclusion of live yeast in a bait to be cooked is perfectly useless and even counter-productive as it could ferment the boilie and even make them pop up in the short time between mixing and cooking.
The only exceptions are two international patents for bioencapsulated yeast to overcome the pelletisation and extrusion temperatures alive, which are however dosed at a few grams per kg. and certainly not for nutritional purposes, but exclusively as probiotics in very technical and expensive mixtures.
After this parenthesis, we begin to clarify the concept that we need dead yeasts (technical term "OFF") simply to provide taste and nutrients in large doses, from 10 to 40% of the mix in special cases.
This form is used in feed for herbivores, pigs and fish by a large number of specialised companies that obtain it mainly from the waste products of the distillation industry and beer in particular.
In practice, this is the dense residue that is removed by decantation and in some cases filtration (you know when a beer is called unfiltered?), formed by the yeast cells and residues of the cereals used, which is then dried using spray-dried processes in large vertical ovens.
These highly tasty and effective flours are practically a waste product reused for food purposes because they are very nutritious and exceptionally appetising for many animals, including carp, which are literally mad about them.
Generally, it is easily found on the market at prices of 2.5 to 4 euros per kilogram, in practical 25 kg paper bags, also on Amazon, in consortia or at feed wholesalers.
Unfortunately, companies in the fishing industry cannot compete on this type of product and are therefore forced to bag more premium yeast, so to speak, which has not gone through the fermentation and distillation process. Practically live yeast that is pasteurised and dehydrated while retaining the taste and nutrients that characterised it at the outset, with a final price that is at least double that of beer brewers.
Which one should be used?
Both are valid and the more valuable one is certainly more proteinous and pure, but less intense in taste because it has not been enriched with all the residues of the fermentation process.
It is a question of choosing according to the mix we have in mind.
If I want to completely replace fishmeal in a fishmix or birdfish mix recipe, it is certainly better to use the most valuable type which has a protein level comparable to a good fishmeal (but also the same cost).
If, on the other hand, I want to make a good nutty, or a mix that combines the attractiveness of yeast with the nutritional power of other animal flours, it is worth buying the residue from the beer.
In my book Boilies you will find descriptions of all the ingredients derived from yeast and how to use them.